How Fulham stole Newcastle striker from Middlesbrough via a Snapchat message | OneFootball

How a Snapchat message cost Middlesbrough striker Aleksander Mitrovic

In the unforgiving world of football transfers, timing can be everything, and for Middlesbrough, the difference between securing a proven goalscorer and watching him flourish elsewhere came down to a single Snapchat message on deadline day 2018.

Aleksandar Mitrovic was mere hours away from completing a move to the Riverside when fate intervened, redirecting his career trajectory toward Fulham and into Championship folklore.

While Mitrovic has since netted 99 goals in 186 appearances for Fulham, including a record-breaking 43 goal campaign in 2021-22, Middlesbrough have endured persistent struggles for consistency in front of goal.

The striker who slipped through their fingers has become a reminder of what might have been.

How Middlesbrough lost Aleksander Mitrovic in transfer window chaos

January 31, 2018, unfolded with the dramatic intensity befitting football's most frantic day. Mitrovic found himself surplus to requirements at Newcastle United, where injuries, disciplinary issues, and tactical disagreements with Rafael Benítez had made the powerful striker available for transfer.

Middlesbrough, under Tony Pulis, had identified Mitrovic as the missing piece in their puzzle.

The club moved swiftly to negotiate terms with Newcastle, agreeing a loan deal that would bring the Serbian international to the Riverside.

With paperwork prepared and representatives engaged, everything appeared to be proceeding according to plan.

However, the transfer market's volatility was about to demonstrate its capacity for last minute disruption.

Mitrovic's preferred destination had initially been a return to Anderlecht, but the Belgian side's permanent deal collapsed when an outgoing transfer fell through in the final hours.

As the clock approached 10pm on deadline day, Mitrovic's agent confirmed the Anderlecht move had definitively fallen through.

The path to Boro appeared clear, with negotiations advancing rapidly toward completion. It was at this crucial juncture that Slavisa Jokanovic - Fulham's Serbian manager - made his decisive intervention via social media.

The Snapchat message was deceptively casual - a simple "How are you?" that would ultimately reshape two clubs' fortunes.

When Mitrovic responded that the Anderlecht deal had collapsed, Jokanovic seized the moment with characteristic urgency.

Within two hours, terms had been agreed, and minutes before midnight, the paperwork was completed. Middlesbrough's carefully laid plans had been undone by technological convenience and managerial opportunism.

Fulham's Aleksander Mitrovic success story

At Craven Cottage, Mitrovic found the perfect environment to flourish. His physical presence, aerial ability, and predatory instincts were precisely what Fulham required.

The immediate impact was evident as he helped secure promotion to the Premier League in his first half-season, establishing himself as the club's talismanic figure.

The 2021-22 Championship campaign represented the apex of Mitrovic's English career, as he obliterated the division's single-season scoring record with 43 goals in 44 appearances.

This extraordinary feat not only secured Fulham's return to the top flight but also demonstrated the sustained excellence that Boro had been denied.

The knowledge that such a proven performer was within their grasp, only to be lost through circumstances beyond their control, has added a particularly bitter dimension to their promotion search.

The financial implications extend far beyond the initial transfer fee. Mitrovic's goals were instrumental in Fulham's multiple Premier League promotions, generating revenues that dwarf the modest loan fee that would have brought him to Boro.

His eventual permanent transfer to Al-Hilal for a club-record £50 million further emphasised the scale of the opportunity that slipped away.

In football's sliding doors, the difference between success and mediocrity can hinge on the smallest margins. For Middlesbrough